What to fill my 60cm depth raised bed with?

Chimera

My OH has just made me a raised bed for our ickle garden, it's quite deep (60cm) so dogs can't easily get to it. I've worked out I need about 500 litres of whatever to fill it, but what with. I've read various things but getting very confused.

I'm presuming the bottom doesn't have to be compost as it's so deep.
I was thinking of getting some mulch from farm shop at 50p a feed bag (big compost bag), but do I need manure? top soil etc.

I have 200 litres of compost here and can get more

Any advice would be great?

Wookey

Look on freecycle for someone giving away topsoil, ask someone with horses near you for a bin load of manure, does your council give away compost, any old plants, bits of newspapers. If you can get about 1/2 of it filled with free topsoil adding in the rest will bulk it out, you also don't want to fill it to the brim as adding compost etc in years to come will eventually top it up. Anything added that will compost/break down in small quantities will help out a lot and its free.

Chimera

great.. have a bit of garden waste I can put in bottom

I also have a sack of spuds going mega sprouty in cupboard, would these be ok in bottom?

conradmum

Chimera wrote: »

great.. have a bit of garden waste I can put in bottom

I also have a sack of spuds going mega sprouty in cupboard, would these be ok in bottom?

Yes, if you want to harvest potatoes as your first crop! I'd lay a bet a potato would make its way through two feet of compost. What do others think?

Chimera

conradmum wrote: »

Yes, if you want to harvest potatoes as your first crop! I'd lay a bet a potato would make its way through two feet of compost. What do others think?

Thanks, I was a bit unsure about this, thought that might happen - glad i haven't put em in

Orange_King

I think the spuds would be growing in no time. I have just started my first raised bed and have put a good layer of stones at the bottom for drainage followed by the sods of lawn broken up, then some stuff from the compost bin and then the rest of the soil that was dug up from the lawn. I'm going to rake it thoroughly before adding the veggie compost - should be of similar depth to yours.

Good luck with it.

tim_n

I started with 2ft deep beds, the bottom was covered in two layers of corrigated cardboard, 1ft of slighly rotted manure and 1ft of straw as a no dig bed. You then added more manure and more straw each year. Beds are now totally full and everything grows like rockets. Did spuds in my first year, then rhubarb and beans, now anything. The initial details of the fertiliser etc are here: http://www.waark.com/2007/01/22/building-beds/

Kay_Peel

I covered the bottom with strong clear plastic which I then punctured with lots and lots of drainage holes.

I covered the plastic with broken bricks, tiles, hedge cutting, twigs and cut up tree branches.

A layer of cardboard went on top of that. Then some old grass turves which I laid face down.

A bagful well rotted manure went in next (don't do this if you want to grow beetroot because beetroot does not like recently manured ground). And compost mixed with topsoil went on top of that.

The mistake that I made in the first year was not firming the top layer enough. I left it loose, light and airy. The next year, I firmed it by standing on a plank of wood and walking along it before planting anything. The crop was much better.

The second mistake I made was to use too much compost and not enough top-soil. I think I've now got the balance right - 60% top soil and 40% compost.

lolly5648

Kay_Peel wrote: »

The mistake that I made in the first year was not firming the top layer enough. I left it loose, light and airy. The next year, I firmed it by standing on a plank of wood and walking along it before planting anything. The crop was much better.

The second mistake I made was to use too much compost and not enough top-soil. I think I've now got the balance right - 60% top soil and 40% compost.

I have just started planting out in my raised bed. I have not firmed down the soil. Can you tell me why it should be flattened and what difference it makes? I am about to sow peas and beans direct into the soil.

Thanks

Kay_Peel

lolly5648 wrote: »

I have just started planting out in my raised bed. I have not firmed down the soil. Can you tell me why it should be flattened and what difference it makes? I am about to sow peas and beans direct into the soil.

Thanks

My vegetables had nothing to cling onto and there was too much air in it. The water went straight through it and it dried out quickly. Some veg did alright - radish and lettuce, for instance, but vegetables that need to be anchored and to put down good roots (like beans, peas, carrots, leeks and the brassicas) just flopped. My fault.

When the compost was firmed (gently - you don't want it compacted unless you're growing winter vegetables in a windy location) and mixed with top soil, the plants were happier, straighter, grew faster and matured more quickly. The ground didn't dry out and it held water better. All in all, it was a better growing environment and I've learnt from my mistake.

Hope that helps and good growing from your new raised bed!

lolly5648

Thanks for that Kay, I learn something new every day.